Blizzard’s decision to ban a Hearthstone player is backfiring on them. The protesters in Hong Kong are making Overwatch characters their symbols.
The title image comes from Reddit user Fish-IP from the subreddit r/HongKong/.
Blizzard is currently facing a significant issue. After they kicked Hearthstone pro Blitzchung out of the Grandmaster League for expressing solidarity with the protesters in Hong Kong during an interview, a massive outcry ensued. Blizzard is accused of ignoring human rights and freedom of speech as long as it means big profits in China. The decision is even criticized by Blizzard employees.
However, players, fans, and protesters from Hong Kong are fighting back in their own ways to send Blizzard a message. They are turning an Overwatch character into a symbol for the protests in Hong Kong.
What has been done to Mei? There are now hundreds of images in the form of Photoshop manipulations, memes, and specially created artworks. They depict the character Mei, who originates from China in the Overwatch world, as a supporter of the protests. Here are some excerpts from Twitter featuring various images showing Mei in her role as a supporter of the protests.
What do the organizers hope for? Most are upset that Blizzard apparently aligns itself with China through this decision, as there is a large and important market there. They now hope that Mei will become a symbol of resistance and protests against China. They believe that the Chinese government would ban the character Mei, thereby impacting Blizzard and its products.
Or to quote a post on Twitter:
Make Mei a new symbol of resistance in Hong Kong. Or at least meme it until China bans Blizzard products.
Fans are outraged by Blizzard: Even long-time fans are quite angry about the incident, creating bitter memes. A few years ago, Blizzard made the statement “The world needs more heroes” famous with Overwatch – not only as a message for the game but also as a message to the players.
This very statement is now being used again, as seen in this example:
The world needs more heroes – except if you support the protests in Hong Kong. We just love money too much, okay?
The whole action aims not just to draw more attention to the protests and the concerns of the people there but also to send Blizzard a message, so they might lose China as a market.
What do you think of this approach? Is it a valid method to express discontent and support a political cause? Or should Mei not be used for such things?
Overwatch characters have already been used as symbols of protest in the past. For example, D.Va:
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